Paper exiting a printer tends to curl. This is particularly true for paper exiting an electrophotographic printer having a fusing process to fix toner, as is widely practiced. The wetter the paper is before printing, the more curl occurs.
It is desirable to have the capability of the printer exiting the paper into a finisher, which stacks and binds the paper with a staple or other binder technique, such as stitching. In order to staple or bind such a stack of paper, the stack must be loaded into a throat of a stapler or other binding apparatus, which becomes difficult when the paper is curled. This invention flattens the curl in the vicinity of such a throat and presses the paper into a uniform stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,390 to Guerrero has a stationary member in a stacker to accommodate curl. This invention employs a movable member in association with a guide on a clamp.